Scientific Name: Passer domesticus

Residency: Throughout Arizona, year-round.

Diet: Insects, spiders, small fruit, waste grain, crumbs and weed seeds (comes to seed feeders). Forages on the ground and in foliage.

Predators: Avian predators include Cooper's Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Northern Harrier, Merlin, American Kestrel, and Loggerhead Shrike. Predators of nesting adults, young or eggs include cats, dogs, raccoons, and snakes.

Nesting: Female and males build a domed-cup-shaped nest. Three-seven white eggs with brown markings per brood (2-3 broods per year). Builds nests in both natural and constructed habitats, including bird-houses, under eaves of houses, in signs or nooks of commercial buildings.

Nesting Records: Scottsdale Community College.

Notes: Introduced from its native Europe in the 1850's, this bird has successfully spread across the North American continent and is now abundant in urban, residential and agricultural areas. Stays near people and buildings - will incorporate human-made materials into nests, including scraps of plastic, paper, and whatever else is available. Aggressively competes with native species that also nest in cavities - will kill adult birds, and the young and eggs of other birds, in order to take over a cavity or bird-house. May be causing the decline of some native species.

Photo: Taken at Scottsdale Community College on February 25, 2007. For more photos, click on camera icon.

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